The Kohlmans

Here is my current reading list: Four from my birthday Three for work (one is a re-read) One for school Two still from Christmas Three to read before putting on the shelves in my classroom Some day.

I've been working on the living room just a little bit. This is what the room looked like when we first moved in: This is what it looked like before we got the piano... And this is what it looks like now... I'm loving our little "collage" above the piano. It will grow as we take more pictures we love.

...I turned 25. I wish I could explain how much I love my birthday. But I can't. I just do. (Ask Brad. He knows.) I'm kind of like a five-year-old. I'm not sure why I love it so much. I just do. Maybe someday I'll be able to explain. (No, I didn't quite finish "the list." And I didn't make another one, really. I do have a new "to-do" list posted on one of my pages (see the top of my blog), but there's no deadline or anything.) (I'm not sure why I look like I have a tumor in my cheek in the first picture, but I promise I don't.)

Today, Kansas turns 150. And while I sometimes have a love-hate relationship with the place, I am proud to be a Kansan. Maybe this is idealistic and naive, but my hope for the next 150 years is that we can strive to become a place... "...where seldom is heard / a discouraging word..." (we already know the skies are almost never cloudy for a whole day)

I love watching these girls (and their coach)!  

We read about a hog slaughter today... "Oh my gosh! They even used the hide!" "Probably for bacon." Um, yeah. Probably. Yes, I teach in the suburbs. 

I always cringe when I see people do research about school funding in Kansas and take the total amount spent on schools and divide it by the number of students. The number seems great, anywhere from $11,000-$15,000 a kid. That would be fantastic. But it's a deceiving number. Disclaimer: I am no expert in school funding. It is incredibly complicated. This is just what I have pieced together. For a more complete picture, contact your local superintendent (right, Darrel?!).  The average Kansas general education student is "funded" with $4,012. (In Governor Brownback's budget proposal, that number dips down to $3,780 for next year.) Then, there a lots and lots of weightings for things like at-risk students, special education, free and reduced lunch students, etc... Money that goes into specific funds (capital outlay, technology, etc...) usually has to be spent for that specific purpose. Some of the money included in the total spent on education in Kansas goes to ...

I think we can agree that our future lies in our children. I think we can all agree that it's important to invest in our future. Sometimes reality hits hard.  Once again, our children are facing more cuts to their education. (No, I'm not being redundant. They are again facing more cuts.) You can read more about it here , here , and here ... here too.... I don't have kids of my own, but this crap wouldn't cut it if I did. I hope that all parents feel the same way.  It's hard not to stress or worry or feel angry about how I could be right back in the same situation I faced last year . My job this year has been difficult, but it's certainly far better than not teaching. It's certainly better than unemployment. But in the end, it's not just about my job. It's about how, by cutting the amount of money that goes to the classroom, we are cheating kids. They only get one shot at sixth grade. Shouldn't we give them the best we possibly can? ...

I can. I know, I've been a blog slacker. I'm sorry, but I just can't think of anything to say. I'll try to do better.... In the meantime..... today in sixth grade.... After I hit ctrl+alt+delete to close a frozen program and restart it, "Mrs. Kohlman! You're like... a miracle worker!" Pretty much. (But we'll see if I really am one come state assessment time.) Explaining to me why he had a band-aid on his lip (yes, you read that right.... lip!): "Well, in math today my middle toe was numb so I took my shoe off. Then B. was raising his hand to answer a question, and he elbowed my lip." Oh, of course. How silly that I didn't know. Of course, I was just impressed that he figured out how to get a band-aid to stick to his mouth.

For some reason I can't get this verse out of my head... Will you love the you you hide if I but call your name? Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same? Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around, through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me? Will you come and follow me John L. Bell and Graham Maule source : Sing the Story c. 2007

"Sometimes things have to fall apart  so they can come together in a new way." The Blind Faith Hotel by Pamela Todd